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‘Planet Zoo’

The media that we consume has historically influenced our culture in some pretty interesting ways. From the way we interact with others to the nomenclature we utilize, media sources can shape the reality we live in. However, the media doesn’t have to beget negative reactions from consumers.

Some media influence may be utilized to increase support for conservation efforts world-wide. For example, Frontier Development recently released their newest game, “Planet Zoo,” which seeks to offer a realistic zoo-building experience for gamers, giving special attention to conservation efforts.

The Principle Audio Designer for the game, Matthew Florianz, said in a 2019 promotional interview that “Something we want players to take away from this is . . . a better understanding of the animals that are in zoos and the animals that are in nature, so conservation plays a very important role.”

The design team took deliberate efforts to make the game feel as authentic as possible and refused to exploit creative liberties to make the game more interesting.

Each week, the game features a new “Franchise Community Goal” in which players across the world will attempt to breed a certain species for the week. The goal is set at a high number to be met collectively by the “Planet Zoo” community.

This feature is derivative of real-life conservation goals; zoos across the world collaborate with one another in order to meet breeding quotas in efforts to save certain species from extinction.

In order to make the experience as authentic as possible, “Planet Zoo” also maintains a breeding system in which genetics plays an integral role. Players are encouraged to utilize a strong gene pool for breeding their animals to improve specimens’ immunity, longevity, size and fertility.

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